I took hypno birthing and nothing natural was incredibly painful for me during my son birth. The most painful natural thing occurred early on when my thighs burned, I was told later that its a sign of effacing (I think). When my uterus started pushing I think it was the more interesting feeling in the world. I did not have the "natural instinct" to push that you hear about. I was in the pushing stage for 3 hours. My son's head was too big. Now episiotomies HURT, but that can't be helped without pain meds.

Really I think you need to believe it doesn't have to hurt and relax. That is all I did to have a mostly pain free birth.

ive had two natural births and both times it was the worst pain i have ever experienced in my life, lol.

i will say that my labors had different levels of pain before the pushing stage that i do attribute to environment and confidence - my first being the more painful throughout and my second being a much more endorphin-rich and relaxed experience bc of being at home and having support. BUT on the other hand, with my second i was resisting the intensity. i had convinced myself it didnt have to get that bad, that i could do it with just the amount of pain i had already been through (which wasnt much) and it delayed things in an already stalled labor. i was telling my midwife how much less painful my whole experience had been during the lull and she took my hand and said, "maybe you need to let it get that bad". i did need to. shortly after, the familiar all-encompassing force came back like hell on wheels and took me into that birth dimension where pain isnt even localized or felt anywhere you can put a finger on, and youre kind of drifting through a force field at the mercy of life and death, and boom, i had a baby.

I've heard of it, but I think it's incredibly rare. It's usually from using hyponobabies/hypnobirthing, so I think you have to be really susceptible to hypnosis.
Squeezing hips in labor is AMAZING! I had my DH do it with every contraction in my last birth. It really does relieve a lot of the pressure.
I've also heard water helps. I didn't prefer the tub in labor, but I know a lot of moms do.

this is what bothers me about the hypnobabies brand. i will try to explain...i do think that it is a very valuable relaxation tool and a great concept/theory. however, promoting that your labor can be "pain free" if only you are doing the exercises right sets a woman up for a big surprise, especially if it is her first labor. i really wish the words would just be tweaked a bit to be able to recognize that it can help to alleviate pain and tension, not eliminate them. then i feel like a first time mom would be in a better frame of mind to handle the "surges" of intensity that do come.

this is what bothers me about the hypnobabies brand. i will try to explain...i do think that it is a very valuable relaxation tool and a great concept/theory. however, promoting that your labor can be "pain free" if only you are doing the exercises right sets a woman up for a big surprise, especially if it is her first labor. i really wish the words would just be tweaked a bit to be able to recognize that it can help to alleviate pain and tension, not eliminate them. then i feel like a first time mom would be in a better frame of mind to handle the "surges" of intensity that do come.

ITA. That's my beef with those systems - they make it seem like using their systems WILL make you have a pain free birth. It might help, but chances are slim that it will be pain free. I think it's more the exception than the rule. You still need to prepare yourself for the intensity of birth.

Those methods 'work' because you relax. So anything that helps you relax will help. Music... Breathing...

Just had my first med-free birth and it hurt. Of course, I progressed very fast and so my body was working hard. I suppose progressing slower would have been a lot more bearable, pain-wise.

For the best chance, I would recommend a doula. She knew how to help me relax during the different phases. She would make good suggestions and if I followed, I did find a good amount of relief. But I wouldn't call it painless.

__________________
SAHM to Magnolia May (09/10), Luke Russett (04/13) and expecting 11/16. Wife and best friend to my airman.

this is what bothers me about the hypnobabies brand. i will try to explain...i do think that it is a very valuable relaxation tool and a great concept/theory. however, promoting that your labor can be "pain free" if only you are doing the exercises right sets a woman up for a big surprise, especially if it is her first labor. i really wish the words would just be tweaked a bit to be able to recognize that it can help to alleviate pain and tension, not eliminate them. then i feel like a first time mom would be in a better frame of mind to handle the "surges" of intensity that do come.

I'm using hypnobabies this time around. I've labored and given birth without pain medication before without using any specific techniques. I think its not fair to convince a new mom that her birth is going to be magical and cloud her from emotionally preparing herself for what could turn out to be a very uncomfortable (and painful) experience. BUT for moms like me who have done this before and know what it feels like we NEED to DECIDE to have a pain-free birth in order for the hypnosis to work. Its not that I think that labor isn't painful, its that I'm choosing to teach myself to interpret the signals from my body differently this time around. Its okay for me to believe that my labor won't hurt because I already know what it could be.... I do think its a much more rude awakening to first time moms who convince themselves it will be pain-free and aren't ready to handle the "pressure waves".

I'm going back into my bubble of peace now, lol! My labor is going to be pain-free and unmedicated . I tell you all about it sometime in June. LOL

__________________Mae- Mama to Gustavo 10/07, Joey 12/10 and Henry 5/13
“No matter how big the lie; repeat it often enough and the masses will regard it as the truth.” ― John F. Kennedy